Secondary schools in Wales are not doing enough to promote key skills in the classroom, the nation’s inspectorate warns today.

Secondary schools in Wales are not doing enough to promote key skills in the classroom, the nation’s inspectorate warns today.

Estyn said more needed to be done to make sure children aged between 11 and 14 in Welsh schools are developing core communication, numeracy and thinking skills.

Despite “good opportunities” to develop key skills across all subjects, it said very few schools had a “coherent and well-planned” approach to their delivery.

The inspectorate was also critical of the Welsh Government’s Skills Framework, which “does not significantly influence planning in most secondary schools”.

Launched in 2008, the Skills Framework is designed to underpin the national curriculum and help strengthen pupil competency in transferable skills such as reading, writing, speaking and listening.

In its report published today, Estyn says schools are aware pupils aged 11-14 need to develop generic skills, but very few use the Skills Framework when planning their development.

It claims the framework is too broad and teachers place a greater emphasis on meeting the requirements of the national curriculum.

Chief inspector Ann Keane, who has herself criticised the low levels of literacy and numeracy in Wales, said: “The Skills Framework has raised awareness of the need to develop pupils’ transferable skills in communication, numeracy, thinking and information and communication technology but the framework has not been influential enough.

“These skills are vital for the education and future careers of young people.

“However, we found that although nearly all schools have someone with overall responsibility for the development and implementation of skills, only a few schools successfully plan the progressive development of pupils’ skills across the curriculum.

“We have seen that where schools make the greatest progress in developing pupils’ generic skills, senior managers support and provide staff with appropriate resources and training to develop skills across the curriculum.

“I would encourage senior managers, teachers in secondary schools, and local authority officers and advisers to read the full report and implement its recommendations.”

Inspectors found that assessing and tracking pupils’ progress in generic skills is effective only in a few schools.

Where it is most successful, Estyn said schools use simple, non-bureaucratic systems that directly inform teachers’ planning.

Report author Ceri Jones said “elaborate and complex” tracking systems do not produce useful targets and create too great a burden for teachers.

“About half of schools track pupils’ progress in generic skills, but very few refer to the Skills Framework in this process,” he said.

“Pupils have opportunities to influence what they learn in only about half of schools. Where this is a common practice across all subjects, pupils feel a greater sense of motivation, enjoy their work more and, in general, make good progress.”

He added: “Since the introduction of the revised national curriculum in 2008, nearly all schools have made changes to teaching methods to encourage pupils to develop generic skills across the curriculum. However, only a minority of teachers across all subjects use these methods effectively.”

Mr Jones said, in general, the development of numeracy across the curriculum is less advanced than that of literacy.

He warned that most teachers – of subjects other than maths – do not have a good enough grasp of their pupils’ maths ability or how they are taught.

Aside from maths, subjects including science, geography, information technology and design technology are considered best for developing numeracy skills.

Mr Jones was also critical of local authorities and the “significant variation” in support and guidance they provide to schools.

He said Welsh councils concentrate on other initiatives and do not prioritise the Skills Framework which, in its current form, is non-statutory.

Concluding, Mr Jones recommends the Welsh Government reviews its Skills Framework to provide a “simpler structure” that schools can easily use to plan, assess and track pupils’ progress.

The report raises a series of familiar issues and serves to reinforce the view that basic skill levels in Wales are not as high as they should be.

Evidence points to a sector struggling at the bottom of the class, with international Pisa results and Estyn’s annual report proof pupils’ literacy and numeracy is worryingly underdeveloped.

Anna Brychan, director of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) Cymru, welcomed the inspectorate’s findings.

“Having said that, I don’t think we should be particularly surprised that we’ve got here,” she said.

“There are two problems really. Schools, perfectly reasonably, plan and deliver the curriculum that policy-makers say they must deliver. In that context the non-statutory Skills Framework has not been very highly valued or closely measured.

“There is also a lack of precision in the framework itself. Schools can’t make everything a priority so increasing the profile the framework, for example, would inevitably start a conversation about reducing the pressure elsewhere. A clear steer on what is most valued would be very helpful at this point.”

Mary Immaculate RC High School in Cardiff was among those praised by the inspectorate for embedding key skills in its teaching and learning policy.

Teachers at the school are given responsibility for the development of a particular skill to ensure their delivery in different contexts across the curriculum.

Headteacher Marc Belli(cor) said: “I am a firm believer that the notion of a job for life belongs to the bygone era and therefore it is essential that school are developing students to become learners of skills so they themselves can access their learning. This enables them to be more confident and enthusiastic about their learning.

“As part of our Key Stage 3 curriculum, we have identified the skills we wish our students to develop in readiness for the challenges of GCSE in Key Stage 4. As a result, students can be expected to cover the spectrum of skills in a variety of subject and teachers tailor their content around the skill.”

A spokesman for the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) said it would consider the report and its recommendations carefully.

“Local authorities recognise the importance of developing transferable generic skills among learners and that more needs to be done,” he said.

“Local government is committed to addressing the skills framework within the wider context of regional school improvement. By September this year, the 22 local authorities will have four regional school improvement services in place and these will incorporate a regional approach to skills.”

The Welsh Government is expected to address some of the report’s findings later this week with the launch of its new national Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF).

A key component of Education Minister Leighton Andrews’ 20-point improvement plan, the framework sets out clear targets for all learners aged five to 14.

Both primary and secondary schools will be expected to use the LNF to ensure the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills is embedded in all subjects across the curriculum.

Writing in the Western Mail, Mr Andrews last week said the framework was one of several actions needed for a “step-change” in literacy standards over the next five years.

A spokesman for the Welsh Government added: “We welcome Estyn’s report and recognise the concerns they identify. Through the minister’s 20-point action plan to improve standards and performance in education in Wales and our new LNF we are working hard to address these issues.”

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